FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 11, 2014
The Next Generation: The Future of Journalism Education
MADISON – Journalism is changing, and so is the way educators train the next generation of reporters, photographers, videographers and graphics specialists. Join leading college and high school educators and students for a wide-ranging discussion about the future of journalism education – and what mid-career journalists need to know to stay current.
The discussion takes place at Edgewood College’s Anderson Auditorium in the Predolin Hall from 7-9 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 24. It features Hemant Shah, director, UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Kim Hixson, chairman, UW-Whitewater Communications Department; Linda Friend, adjunct faculty, Edgewood College English Department, and former senior news producer, Wisconsin Public Television; Jon Netzler, journalism teacher and The Norse Star adviser, Stoughton High School; and Deirdre Green, managing editor, Simpson Street Free Press.
The event is sponsored by the Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and Simpson Street Free Press, and with the generous support of Edgewood College. All area journalists are invited to attend this free event, which is also open to the public. High school and college students interested in journalism are particularly encouraged to attend. Parking is free.
Launched in 1992, Simpson Street Free Press uses journalism to teach the most practical and transferable of academic skills. Literacy is the SSFP brand.
Students publish five separate youth newspapers. The organization grows its own after-school instructors. Newsrooms are staffed using a youth leadership model. Former SSFP students, now in college, serve as editors. These college-age newspaper editors know SSFP curriculum because they grew up doing it. SSFP is thus a pipeline for young people of color. Experienced volunteers, including professional journalists, provide robust forms of assistance.
Based in Indianapolis, SPJ is a national membership organization that promotes high professional and ethical standards, First Amendment principles and the belief that a free and vigorous press is vital in a representative democracy. The Madison professional chapter was formed around 1990. Membership costs $75 annually, and it is open to journalists who spend at least half of their professional life writing or editing work for publication.
Contact: Mark Pitsch, 608-252-6145; [email protected]
—-30—-
